Roy William Clark

Roy William Clark, 68, of Marietta, GA, passed away on Friday, August 22. He was born on May 22, 1957 to Paul William Clark and Ellen Durham Pinkard. He was a star athlete, graduating from Martinsville High School and later playing baseball at Ferrum College (1977-78) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received his degree in Bachelors in Recreation Administration. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.

He played in the Minor Leagues from 1979-82, reaching the Triple-A(AAA) ranks. He transitioned into coaching with the Seattle Mariners minor league system in 1984 before transitioning into scouting with the Mariners in 1985. He proceeded to scout with the Cleveland Indians before he transitioned to an area scout with the Atlanta Braves.

He began with Atlanta in 1989 and rose through the scouting ranks to become the club's director of scouting in 2000, a tenure that established him as a cornerstone of their player-development pipeline. His on-field honors included being named a Ferrum College first team All-American in 1977 and later induction into the Ferrum College Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 as well as the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023, Georgia Sports H.O.F and Mid Atlantic H.O.F, formal recognitions of a life devoted to baseball. At the University of North Carolina, he helped lead his team to the 1978 College World Series and was given honors as an All-ACC second-baseman.

But what people remember most wasn't only the names on his scouting reports; teammates, coaches and executives described Roy as "the Dale Earnhardt of scouting" who was deeply loved and respected and whose work was "instrumental" to team success. Colleagues called him a "grinder" who turned over every rock to find talent. He carried that same devotion to the Washington Nationals and later to the Kansas City Royals as a senior advisor.

He is survived by his beloved wife Debbie and the apples of his eyes, his three children, Justin (38), Travis (35), and Lauren (32); younger brother Harry Wally Clark; sisters-in-law Sharon Smith, Judy Epling; brothers-in-law Sonny Alvey and Jerry Marshall; and many nieces and nephews that he dearly loved.

His Celebration of Life will be held Friday, Sept. 5th at 1pm at H.M. Patterson & Son-Canton Hill Chapel at 1157 Old Canton Road, Marietta, GA 30068.